The South Side Railroad began providing service at Concord in 1854 when the track was completed from Petersburg to Lynchburg. During the Civil War, these rail lines were important for transporting troops and supplies. On 11 June, seven days before the Battle of Lynchburg, Union army forces from Brig. Gen. William W. Averell’s Second Cavalry Division were dispatched to destroy rail and telegraph lines in the region. On 14 June, the Federals burned the Concord Depot, a train, a portion of the track, and other railroad structures, and severed telegraph lines before marching toward Rustburg.